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31,102
- That’s how many verses there are in the Bible. 31,102. That’s a
lot of verses and some of them are not as inspiring as others.
Matthew 1:9 for instance reads, “And
Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat
Ezekias.” Unless your name is Ozias, Joatham, Achaz, or Ezekias this
verse will not do much for you. Then there are verses that seem to
hold the seed of inspiration for all 31,101 other verses. Such is
the case for Luke 2:7. Hear now the Word of the Lord:
And she gave birth to her firstborn son
and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because
there was no place for them in the inn.
This
is the word of God for the people of God. In this one verse Luke
introduced his readers to the Savior of the world. Let us pray.
This
Advent Season we have focused on Christmas movies and the messages
that they proclaim. This week I watched the Christmas classic, A
Miracle on 34th Street. It was interesting seeing
New York in the 1940’s, but it was more interesting watching a
couple of skeptics come alive in the midst of mystery. I’m not sure
I want to get into the debate of the Miracle on 34th
Street tonight, but I would like for us to look at the
Miracle in the Manger – a miracle that is set forth in this one
verse. Tonight I invite you, skeptics and believers alike, to
let the mystery speak to you.
A
couple of months ago we focused on the stories in the windows of the
sanctuary. I promised to come back to the first window on the east
side – the Nativity Window – it was created for this night. You
have often heard that a picture is worth a thousand words, but
tonight I want to assure that this picture is worth one verse.
One verse announces the birth
of a child
“And she gave birth to her firstborn
son,” is the simple phrase used by Luke to announce,
“It’s a Boy!” Luke is referred to in Colossians 4:14 as “the
beloved physician.” He must have been familiar with childbirth.
His description of it would seem to indicate that it was an
uneventful birth, medically speaking. However, I would dare say
that there is no such thing as an uneventful birth, parentally
speaking.
This
past week I was reading my Daily Devotional written by my friend and
mentor, Carroll Fancher. He compared writing this one-year
devotional was like giving birth as he kept it close to his heart
for months and then was delivering it for his entire world to read.
As he made the comparison, he began to reflect on the births of his
children more than 50 years ago. He remembered all sorts of
details, like the time of day, events leading up to the deliveries,
the pride of a papa as he first held each of his children. When I
read this account I began to think of those days when my children
were born. Then on Monday of this week, we had friends over and
they were remembering 25 years ago last weekend when their second
child was born and the ice storm that they had to drive through
while I babysat their one year old in their Fort Worth apartment.
And she gave birth to her firstborn son is only the cover to a
book that is filled with many wonderful stories.
The
Nativity Window is what it is called. At first it just looks like a
manger under the night sky. Upon a closer look you can see all
kinds of symbols that I did not even notice until yesterday. Look
at the window and let the mystery speak to you. There
is the Star of Bethlehem of which we have heard a couple of times
already tonight. There is the song sung by the angels we have heard
on high – Gloria in excelsis deo. There is the Light from
Light Eternal that the faithful have proclaimed tonight. The
grain in this manger is wheat reminding us of the Bread of Life.
The manger shouts out, “Child for us sinners poor and in a manger,”
as Jesus identifies with the least of us. Notice that the manger is
on grass, on earth, where God incarnate, God with us, chose to be.
“And she gave birth to her firstborn
son,” This phrase and this
window are just the cover for a wonderful story. Look at this
window, listen to this verse, and let the mystery speak to you.
One verse Describes the Tender
reception
Luke continued in his brief description
of the mysterious moment,
“and wrapped him in bands of cloth.”
It seems like a humble picture of
parents without the means for a blanket. Perhaps the strips of
cloth, bands of cloth, swaddling clothes, were torn from the
garments that Joseph and Mary were wearing. Wherever they came from
I am quite sure that the wrapping was a tender moment.
I have wrapped a lot of presents this
year. I have gotten pretty fast at it. That’s because I don’t
stress out about perfection any longer. If the paper is too short,
I just cut a strip to fill the gap. I know that the recipient is
simply going to rip it off and throw it away anyway. So it’s simply
measure, cut, fold, tape, and label. It’s done.
But I used to wrap babies and that was
an entirely different thing all together. Quite frankly it was one
of my favorite jobs as a dad. It almost made changing the diaper
worth it if I got to wrap the baby. Lay the baby corner to corner
on the receiving blanket, cover his toes with one corner, wrap his
right side with another corner, fold the left corner around him, and
let the top corner cradle his head right in the crook of my arm. I
realize as I was preparing this sermon that I am in the sandwich
generation, between having babies and holding grandbabies. The
crook of my arm is starting to yearn a little. Don’t miss the
tenderness of this phrase,
“and wrapped him in bands of cloth.”
Anyone who has ever wrapped a baby, know that this is a tender task.
The Nativity Window was placed here in
memory of O.B. Martin. Oscar Martin was the National Director of
the Boys and Girls Club, which became known as the 4-H Club, during
his years of leadership. It was Martin who in 1911suggested that
the three H’s, which stood for head, heart, and hands add a fourth H
for health. The four leaf clover became the brand of this
organization that now has chapters in all 50 states and 80
countries. O.B. Martin also served as the Director of the Texas
Agricultural Extension Service. It is fitting that this window be
placed in memory of one who provided leadership to many boys and
girls, especially those in towns no bigger than Bethlehem. I am
certain that he understood the phrase,
and wrapped him in bands of cloth
to mean a great deal of tenderness. This evening I invite you to
look at the window, listen to this one verse, and
let the mystery speak to you.
One verse
depicts the humble surroundings
Luke
continued in his one verse introduction to the Savior of the world
by adding, “and laid him in a
manger.” The story has been
told for so long, that I fear we tend to transform this crude cradle
into a quaint nursery. A manger was a feed trough for the animals.
It was prickly not comfy, dirty not sanitary, cold not cozy. It
could not have been much humbler - a cave where animals were being
kept, a manger where the animals had buried their heads - and this
is where we meet the Son of God. Why here? Perhaps it is for all
of us that would cry out to God, “You don’t understand what it’s
like to be where I am!” This is where we find the divine
interpreter, able to speak our language to the Father and the
Father’s language to us. Here is where Jesus begins his message, “I
get you.” Look at the window, listen to this verse and
let the mystery speak to you.
One verse convicts the blinded
crowd
“Because there was no room for them in the inn,” is the reason Luke
gave for such a mean state. How could it be that the Savior of the
World comes to town and there is no room? How can it be that the
King of kings is born in a little out of the way village and there
is no room? How can it be that the most famous birth in the entire
history of the world occurred that night and there was no room?
Bishop Janice Riggle Huie wrote earlier this week, “Who among us
would not wish that we had been the inn-keeper of long ago? We
would gladly have given Mary and Joseph the best room in the
house—if only we had known. Who among us would not wish that we had
been one of those shepherds who saw and heard the angels? No matter
that shepherds were the lowest working class of their day; we would
gladly have been a rough and dirty shepherd, rushing to the baby’s
side—if only we had known. Who among us would not wish that we had
been one of the Wise Men? We would eagerly have traveled thousands
of miles to bring a gift to the Baby Jesus—if only we had known.”
Accompanying that quote was a picture of a modern day baby in a
manger. The picture was taken on the trip to Africa that Linda
Marr, the Bishop, and about 30 others took last month. The Bishop
entitled it, “Baby in a Bucket.”
A
couple of months ago I was attending our Men’s Prayer Breakfast and
was asked if I would speak about the relationship between faith and
science. It actually provided me with the platform to talk about
one of my favorite topics, the power and authority of God’s Word. I
maintain that the most important question to ask when reading the
stories of the Bible is not the scientific question, “Did that
really happen that way?” I believe that this is an important
question and worth a great deal of study and reflection. However, I
think the most important question to ask when reading the stories
and verses of the Bible is the faith question, “Does that really
happen that way?” I have read a lot of articles and commentaries
that seek to prove that Jesus was born on December 25th,
which is nowhere stated in the Bible. I have heard arguments about
when and how a census was taken in the Middle East, where the
animals were kept, and what an inn was. These are all important
pieces of information, but the most important question is not, “Did
that really happen that way?” but, “Does that really happen that
way?” The answer to that question is, “Yes, it happens all the
time!”
It is
easy to get too busy, or to have our lives too crowded with the
pursuit of stuff and personal comfort that we can wind up with no
room. I am confident that the Inn Keeper would love to have had it
all to over again. If only he had known. Jesus would later say, “Just
as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my
family, you did it to me.” Could it be that by providing a net for
this baby in the bucket, we have cared for the Christ child? If
only we had known.
31,102 verses in the entire Bible and tonight I only want you to
hear one of them. This evening I invite you to look at the window,
listen to this one verse, and
let the mystery speak to you.
“And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of
cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them
in the inn.”
Amen.
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